Are any others overwhemled by nav system

Just have a kid go with you. My son passed his hand over the manual and 30 seconds later the NAV lady said "Yes, Master!"

Actually, it comes with practice... really. Heck, I've owned the car since October and I can already find my way home. I began as you did, but now wouldn't own a car without GPS.

 

The Nav System -Just keep playing with it

I felt exactly the way you do and experienced the same initial frustration with the complexities of the Nav System. It is a bit complicated and confusing but keep playing with it. I got my silver #9 at the end of june and in only one month have gotten very profecient at working it. It is really a terrific Nav system and once you get the hang of it you will really enjoy it, If you have any specific problems I will be glad to help if I can. Good luck and keep playing with it.

 

I found the quickest way to get the feel of the basic screens and screen combinations on the NAV was to print out one of the lists of Voice Commands and just run through them.

Rather than just reading the manual, and pushing buttons, I found the visual-verbal-visual connection (See Word - Say Word - See Screen) really helped cement quickly what each basic functions did. Once I had them all in the brain box, I could apply them to different situations.

Now, that won't help you program destinations and such, but if your brain works like mine, saying the words and seeing the function really makes a quick mental link to the capabilities.

However, I must admit, I have not gone back to the Manual yet so see if there are any functions that don't have corresponding voice commands. I'm not really sure I want to know

 

I have figured out how to set destination, and the voice commands (though they rarely work... "System is howing ski resort icons.").

The POI are still confusing to me though.

I do like the destination search by category to find restaurants nearby, though.

For newbies, make sure it is set to the right region of the country. Mine came set to the northeast and I didn't know, and so couldn't program any destinations.

 

What is really nice is to program the destination using point and touch.

Start out with the map at a scale that shows the general area of where you want to go (You can scroll the map by touching the side of the screen to go in the 8 directions. Then zoom in by double "clicking" on the screen with your finget. refine click etc to street level and finaly touch where you want and click on start guidance. (Its all in the hand book).

Saves typing in an address.

 

Mark's 10-Step NAV QuickStart Guide:
1. Program in your home address in the Settings. Whenever you're out and about and need to find a way home, just use the voice command "GO HOME".
2. Voice-activated POIs are great. My favorites are "ATM","Banks","Restaurants","<ethnic> restaurants","Fast Food","Gas Station". Okay, so I'm always hungry and out of cash....
3. Select the "forward direction is up" orientation of the map. Pressing the compass in the corner toggles between this and "North always up", which I find less intuitive.
4. Enter Destination by Phone Number. Most people don't even know this is there. When you enter the Dest screen, there are 2 pages of options. You have to press the arrow next to "1/2" to go to "2/2". This works for residences or, particularly, businesses. Only 10 keys to press rather than a bazillion for a whole address.
5. Put in the NAV speed defeat switch. Nothing more aggravating than being locked out while driving. This also gives you access to the published phone number in the POI's Info box to call using the BT phone directly.
6. Street numbers are optional. Don't get stuck on knowing the exact address. If you leave this blank, it just routes you to the mid-range of numbers on that street. Omitting the street simply routes you to the center of town. This is usually enough info based on the scope of your travel.
7. Don't rely on voice announcements for quick turns. She can't quite say it all fast enough, so use the close-up map on the right side of the screen as your best indication.
8. Make sure auto-reroute is ON. Everyone makes mistakes.
9. Clicking the Map button while the Map screen is displayed will tell you the exact address of your current location. Really great if you're lost or want to tell someone on the phone how far away you are.
10. Use common sense. The maps aren't always up to date, and the NAV doesn't know which routes are busy at certain times of the day. Use it as a suggestion rather than a commandment.
Good luck!

 

nav

Great recommendations.

Had an Acura system in my RL prior to the Prius and I just love nav systems. That being said, it is without question the most complicated, confusing, ideosyncratic system I have ever seen.

As good as Toyota is, they missed the boat (no POI icon; pun intended) on this one. How about a DVD tutorial? Prii meets for nav tutorials? Customer seminars?

Are you listening Toyota or did Honda just get it, and continues to, right?